FETO members to 'pay the price' after coup bid: Erdogan

By Burcu Calik, Enes Kaplan and Tanju Ozkaya

ANKARA (AA) - Members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) will continue to pay the price in the aftermath of the July 15 defeated coup attempt, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday.

Speaking at the Bestepe National Congress and Culture Center in Ankara during a Teachers' Day program, Erdogan said: “They [FETO members] are paying the price and they will continue to pay for it.”

Since the coup bid, thousands of people have been dismissed from their posts from Turkey’s state institutions, including teachers, healthcare professionals, army personnel and police officers.

The president said the dismissals would continue to separate those who have ties with the terrorist group, FETO.

Led by the U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, FETO is accused of orchestrating the July 15 coup plot in Turkey as well as being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

“I believe our future is much brighter, much brighter,” Erdogan said, adding: “No one can prevent the birth of the 'New Turkey' anymore.”

“New Turkey” is a slogan used by the government to describe a series of reforms ahead of 2023, the 100th anniversary of the founding of Turkish Republic.

“We will build the 'New Turkey' together with education, training, wisdom and a total development effort,” he added.